Football finance expert Kieran Maguire has recently discussed Southampton’s switch in kit manufacturers.
Back in 2016, the Saints announced a ‘multi-year partnership’ with Under Armour that was set to run for seven years, until the summer of 2023 (per Southampton).
However, in an announcement earlier this week, the St. Mary’s Stadium outfit revealed that it had signed a deal with Danish sportswear brand Hummel.
The appointment of the new official kit supplier for Southampton supposedly came after ‘an extensive search to find a new partner that shares the club’s values and desire to push the boundaries‘.
During the latest episode of The Price of Football podcast, Maguire discussed the Saints’ switch from Under Armour to Hummel.
He said: “People might recall that Southampton had big problems at the start of this season with their kit because their sponsors just disappeared. So, that’d caused an issue.
“The kit manufacturers [were] Under Armour, and Under Armour [has] not been having financial problems, but they’ve not been delivering the numbers that the market has expected.
“So, by all accounts, they’re having a major restructuring and they’re trying to pull out of team sports – so they’re doing this in the US.
“Southampton were their main team here in the Premier League, so, they came to a mutual understanding because they’d signed a [seven]-year contract [and] it still has two and a half years remaining.
“Hummel are going to take [over] and I think if you are a Southampton fan, you’ve probably got some romantic memories of Hummel kit from days gone by when Sir Matt [Le Tissier] was in his prime.”
TIF Thoughts on what Kieran Maguire said about the Saints’ deal with Under Armour…
As can be seen in what the finance expert had to say, the fact that Southampton switched Under Armour for Hummel is due to the sportswear brand “having a major restructuring”.
Who would you rather have making Southampton's kits?
Hummel
Under Armour
As noted in the club’s announcement of the Hummel partnership, it sees the Danish brand return to being the club’s kit manufacturer for the first time since the years 1987-1991.
So, the new deal for the club could certainly present some nostalgic memories for supporters due to the “great connection” between the club and the brand, as noted by Southampton’s chief commercial officer David Thomas.